Old West History | COME TO LIFE SOUTHERN UTE CULTURAL CENTER AND MUSEUM Native American Trail It’s impossible to fully understand Colorado’s origins without learning about and honoring the Native Americans who were the first inhabitants of this land. Follow this trail to visit several sites showcasing Native American history and culture dating back thousands of years. In the southwest corner of Colorado, begin your journey at Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center & Museum in Dolores to get the information you need for a visit to Canyons of the Ancients National Monument . This outdoor museum has more than 6,000 documented archaeological sites, some of which are from the 12th century. To the south in Towaoc is Ute Mountain Tribal Park , offering an in-depth tour experience in which Ute tribal members interpret tribal culture, pictographs, cliff dwellings, surface ruins and artifacts. (Note that you must be accompanied by a Ute guide to enter.) Next, travel to Mesa Verde National Park to see surface and cliff dwellings once inhabited by Ancestral Puebloans. East of Durango, stop at the Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum (above) in Ignacio , a stunning and symbolic building celebrating the living history of Colorado’s longest continuous residents with exhibitions, rare artifacts and recorded stories. Now press farther east toward Pagosa Springs to see Chimney Rock National Monument , a protected archaeological site and sacred place that continues to hold special significance for today’s Native American peoples. Take a guided walking tour to view architectural structures including pit houses, kivas and great houses. At the Ute Indian Museum in Montrose the past connects with contemporary Ute life and culture through dioramas, rotating exhibits and hands-on programs. End the tour in Delta at Fort Uncompahgre , a site where Ute Indians and trappers once traded. You can also retrace the historic Cherokee Trail in Colorado by following the self-guided Cherokee Trail Auto Tour by car. This overland trail was an important branch of the California Trail used from the late 1840s through the 1890s. Find out more at octa-trails.org . SKY UTE CASINO RESORT. Your adventure won’t be complete until you belly up to the bar of a saloon. Several different establishments have operated out of the Minturn Saloon in the Vail Valley over the decades, but the current iteration has been open since 1976. Tuck into a plate of ribs and wash it down with a tasty margarita. The Buckhorn Exchange in Denver owns the first liquor license issued in Colorado after Prohibition and is a National Historic Landmark. Enjoy a stiff pour and a steak in a museum-like setting adorned with memorabilia and taxidermy. COLORADO.com/HistoricSaloons HIDDEN-GEM MUSEUMS Hit up some of Colorado’s smaller towns for niche museums that tell the true tales of the days of yore: COLORADO.com/GemMuseums COLORADO . COM 53
Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2022: Page 53
